Weatherby 460 scope?
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I used a Leupold 2.5-8 x 36 on both my .378 and .460, has 5" of eye relief up to 5 power. lots of room, even from the bench, I later used a Bushnell 1.25-8 x 32 (30MM tube)on a Ruger 1 in 450-400 NE, it has 6" of eye relief through out the power range, would be a good choice if you can find one as I believe they are out of production, but show up on the EE from time to time, I sold one about 6 months ago.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I would go with a 1.5-5x Leupold. They're my standby for heavy recoiling rifles. I know it's more power than you want but the increase in ruggedness with the VX3 series would be worth it, in my opinion.
As a good friend would put it........" The 3.5x10x40 Leupold is damn near as perfect of a scope for any hunting situation as your going to find!"
Got the 3.5x10 vx3 on a lot of the big guns....375 weatherby, 378 weatherby, 416 weatherby. Pretty hard to beat that on a 460.....specially when you can run the lighter Bullets and push them to 300 yards or more.
If you plan on hunting the big stuff in Africa or ??? Then go with a 1.75 x 6 vx3. BUt you will be well served by the 3.5x10!!
Got the 3.5x10 vx3 on a lot of the big guns....375 weatherby, 378 weatherby, 416 weatherby. Pretty hard to beat that on a 460.....specially when you can run the lighter Bullets and push them to 300 yards or more.
If you plan on hunting the big stuff in Africa or ??? Then go with a 1.75 x 6 vx3. BUt you will be well served by the 3.5x10!!
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
That's silly. The "big medium" Weatherby cases you mention are just that...big mediums. They were designed to be more all purpose and have the capability to reach out at longer distances. 460 was designed as the ultimate dangerous game round which means tight quarters and limited visibility. No one in their right mind is going to use one out on the prairie for pronghorns. If you're like me you might take an extremely long 110 yard poke at a cape buffalo. Even then 4x is plenty (I "cranked" my 3-9x up for that shot until the image looked good. Afterwards I looked at the power ring and it was on 4x).
Guys really handicap themselves with an obsession on magnification. Too much can be a big problem. Too little is rarely met with the same difficulty.
I get what your saying but you get increased field of view and the ability to use more magnification with a 3-10, whether you do or not doesn't matter. Also having the long tube allows you to avoid ugly scope mounts that hang over the receiver.
I'll never have a 460' but the vx3 3-10 is worth considering as a do it all scope on any rifle.
Ultimate dangerous game speaks to a NE double. Tight quarters, limited visability exclusive dangerous game speaks to iron sights imo
I'll never have a 460' but the vx3 3-10 is worth considering as a do it all scope on any rifle.
Ultimate dangerous game speaks to a NE double. Tight quarters, limited visability exclusive dangerous game speaks to iron sights imo
I started with a low-power 1-5 on my .375 and after some range work and use in the field decided that some more magnification would be better. What I ended up with was a Burris Six-X 2-12x40. This scope is built like a tank! It has a 30mm tube for extra ring-gripping power, great glass and a BDC.
It's nice to use the 12 power for sighting in or if you need a better look at something further away. And the 2x is perfect in heavy brush and close range. And this scope is recoil and drop-proof... I've beat it up really hard and it holds perfect zero.
Burris doesn't make them any more but there's a few around still. If I had a .460 I'd stick one of these on there and never look back.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/burris_six-x_2-12x40.htm
They come in a German #4 reticle, too.
Has 4" of eye relief too!!!
It's nice to use the 12 power for sighting in or if you need a better look at something further away. And the 2x is perfect in heavy brush and close range. And this scope is recoil and drop-proof... I've beat it up really hard and it holds perfect zero.
Burris doesn't make them any more but there's a few around still. If I had a .460 I'd stick one of these on there and never look back.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/burris_six-x_2-12x40.htm
They come in a German #4 reticle, too.
Has 4" of eye relief too!!!
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- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The .460 Weatherby with a 350 gr TSX would have the velocity to be a reasonably flat shooter, and would then arguably be useful as a single rifle for all your African shooting. The problem is that if you put anything but a low power scope on this thing, since eye relief diminishes with magnification, one of two things will happen; either the scope will be mounted too close to your eyebrow, and you'll get cut like never before, or if mounted correctly, as you increase the magnification much above 3X, the image in the scope will begin to doughnut, making higher magnifications unusable.
The primary purpose of an optical sight is not magnification, its that the aiming point and target are in simultaneous focus. When I was shooting my .375 Ultra with it's low power scout scopes, first the Burris Scout, and later a Leupold EER, I could easily hit game sized targets out to 400 yards. When I was shooting my .416 Rigby, I mounted a 1.5-5X Leupold to a custom quarter-rib, so the ocular was even of the face of the falling block. Mounted in this manner, I could use the scope up to 3X, and again, shots out to 400 yards were not a problem on targets that contrasted sharply with their surroundings. The difficulty that occurs with any low power glass is that when your target appears at a longish range, if the target's color blends into the background, and its silhouette is broken up by vegetation, it is then difficult distinguish from it's background. If on a bright day your target stands in a shadow against a dark background, it will b e difficult to see. In all other circumstances the low power scope has the advantage of brightness, field of view, and speed of acquiring and tracking a live target, across any typical big game hunting range.
My recommendation is the excellent 1-4X Nightforce. Long eye relief, an adjustable illuminated reticle, and a 30mm tube are it's primary features. Like any variable power scope, the disadvantage is the challenge of mounting the scope far enough forward due to the long ocular housing. I think you'll find that a one piece Picatinny rail provides the greatest latitude for getting a variable power scope positioned correctly on a bolt action rifle. This scope is no lightweight, but a little extra weight does no harm on a big Weatherby.
The primary purpose of an optical sight is not magnification, its that the aiming point and target are in simultaneous focus. When I was shooting my .375 Ultra with it's low power scout scopes, first the Burris Scout, and later a Leupold EER, I could easily hit game sized targets out to 400 yards. When I was shooting my .416 Rigby, I mounted a 1.5-5X Leupold to a custom quarter-rib, so the ocular was even of the face of the falling block. Mounted in this manner, I could use the scope up to 3X, and again, shots out to 400 yards were not a problem on targets that contrasted sharply with their surroundings. The difficulty that occurs with any low power glass is that when your target appears at a longish range, if the target's color blends into the background, and its silhouette is broken up by vegetation, it is then difficult distinguish from it's background. If on a bright day your target stands in a shadow against a dark background, it will b e difficult to see. In all other circumstances the low power scope has the advantage of brightness, field of view, and speed of acquiring and tracking a live target, across any typical big game hunting range.
My recommendation is the excellent 1-4X Nightforce. Long eye relief, an adjustable illuminated reticle, and a 30mm tube are it's primary features. Like any variable power scope, the disadvantage is the challenge of mounting the scope far enough forward due to the long ocular housing. I think you'll find that a one piece Picatinny rail provides the greatest latitude for getting a variable power scope positioned correctly on a bolt action rifle. This scope is no lightweight, but a little extra weight does no harm on a big Weatherby.
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Kaps scopes made a nice 1x40 scope, don't know if anyone is bringing them in anymore?
I have a 1-6x42 Meopta Artemis scope on my 378, my buddy has the same on his 416, works out great for close in and out there for 300 plus yards. I've shot 3 LBS of powder threw mine last summer and a bit this past without any failure of Optics, says a lot!!!
Meopta make a great dangerous game 1-4x30mm scope that would look great on you 460.
Good luck friend!
Dale Z
I have a 1-6x42 Meopta Artemis scope on my 378, my buddy has the same on his 416, works out great for close in and out there for 300 plus yards. I've shot 3 LBS of powder threw mine last summer and a bit this past without any failure of Optics, says a lot!!!
Meopta make a great dangerous game 1-4x30mm scope that would look great on you 460.
Good luck friend!
Dale Z
I just mounted a 1-4X20 Leupold on my 470 NE double and I think it is about perfect, plenty of eye relief, tough as nails, single focal plane (which these getting old eyes need for good shot placement) and I'd wade into the bush anywhere after anything with it set at 1 power and still be superior to the express sights that are on it. I have the 1.5-5X20 on my 350 RM and have used it for years, I have waded into some dark bushies at dusk after a couple of blackies and can tell you it is better in low light on 1.5 than any iron sights. And let's not forget Leupold's lifetime warranty........a must if mounting it on the 460 Bee.
Another feature of the 1-1.5 low powered scopes is the ability to shoot them with both eyes open and see almost as normal vision. This is very important in very low light conditions as the second eye helps us immensely in identifying what we are looking at and the less disparity between the view of the two eyes the quicker we are to identify and attain a sight picture, which can be critical when chasing the type of critters we tend to chase with rifles chambered for such cartridges.
Another feature of the 1-1.5 low powered scopes is the ability to shoot them with both eyes open and see almost as normal vision. This is very important in very low light conditions as the second eye helps us immensely in identifying what we are looking at and the less disparity between the view of the two eyes the quicker we are to identify and attain a sight picture, which can be critical when chasing the type of critters we tend to chase with rifles chambered for such cartridges.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
A fixed low power scope reticle on a .460 should be one that can quickly acquire short range, dark colored targets. I dislike dots, but for a close range dangerous game application, a thick flat topped post is hard to beat. The thing about the .460 Wby is that with the variety of pointy .458 bullets that are now available, there will be a temptation to use it as a general purpose round, and that should be considered before you choose a reticle that limits the rifle to only short range applications. A post doesn't provide much latitude for hold over before the target disappears from sight behind it.
African hunting does not normally provide much opportunity for a long shot, at least in the North American context of long shots, but a reticle with a distinct primary aiming point that is useful for snap shooting at very close range, a Boone and Crockett style reticle with multiple aiming points and hold offs for wind will add greatly to the versatility of the rifle. At one time I considered illuminated reticles gimmicky, and likely to fail at the moment you might be inclined to use it. I'm reminded of the day we inadvertently worked our way within a herd of buffalo, in tall grass, the range was as close as 5 or 6 feet, yet the individual animals remained unseen except for a patch of hide or a glint of reflected sunlight off a horn. You cold see the grass move, you could hear them, smell them, and if you took a hint from your tracker who shot past you (I swung on him but didn't shoot him) and rapidly squirreled up a skinny tree, at that moment, you were less concerned with trophy quality, and far more concerned with accidentally getting squashed.
But my attitude towards illuminated reticles has softened somewhat after using the feature on my 1-4X Nightforce. So my choice of reticle would be the Nightforce FC-3G illuminated reticle, illuminated its a fine choice for close range snap shooting, particularly against large, dark targets, and the the provisions for drop and wind drift, provides the ability to make a successful long shot. That's win-win . . . even if I am overthinking the problem.
African hunting does not normally provide much opportunity for a long shot, at least in the North American context of long shots, but a reticle with a distinct primary aiming point that is useful for snap shooting at very close range, a Boone and Crockett style reticle with multiple aiming points and hold offs for wind will add greatly to the versatility of the rifle. At one time I considered illuminated reticles gimmicky, and likely to fail at the moment you might be inclined to use it. I'm reminded of the day we inadvertently worked our way within a herd of buffalo, in tall grass, the range was as close as 5 or 6 feet, yet the individual animals remained unseen except for a patch of hide or a glint of reflected sunlight off a horn. You cold see the grass move, you could hear them, smell them, and if you took a hint from your tracker who shot past you (I swung on him but didn't shoot him) and rapidly squirreled up a skinny tree, at that moment, you were less concerned with trophy quality, and far more concerned with accidentally getting squashed.
But my attitude towards illuminated reticles has softened somewhat after using the feature on my 1-4X Nightforce. So my choice of reticle would be the Nightforce FC-3G illuminated reticle, illuminated its a fine choice for close range snap shooting, particularly against large, dark targets, and the the provisions for drop and wind drift, provides the ability to make a successful long shot. That's win-win . . . even if I am overthinking the problem.
